June 29, 2022: PEERS

The following is a joint statement from the LSN:

Many participants and patrons of the Great Dickens Christmas Fair (DCF) continue to boycott DCF until the Minimum Requirements for a Safe Dickens Fair are fully met. Even so, the Period Events and Entertainments Recreation Society (PEERS) has recently announced their decision to run Fezziwig’s dance parlor for the 2022 DCF season.

The London Solidarity Network (LSN) is aware that when those on the PEERS board of directors who made this decision were reminded that returning to DCF at this time would violate the boycott to which they themselves had previously committed, they acknowledged this fact and stated their intention to return anyway. This choice demonstrates a lack of true regard for the marginalized groups that the LSN represents.

We remind everyone that in spite of the progress made thus far by Red Barn Productions (RBP), they have yet to meet all of the the Minimum Requirements. To settle for less than that minimum standard is to settle for an environment that is neither safe nor equitable for those who are marginalized and vulnerable. While we also acknowledge that some participants (especially vendors and vendor staff) rely on DCF for their annual income and do not have the luxury of boycotting, PEERS is a nonprofit organization that is not financially dependent on this income.

We encourage those who support our boycott to think twice before attending an event hosted by PEERS, or any organization that has crossed the picket line. In doing so, PEERS has proven that they themselves are also unsafe for marginalized and vulnerable people.